LONDON, ONTARIO - Viron Therapeutics Inc. announced that VT-346, an anti-TNF protein therapeutic, demonstrated positive results in a pivotal proof of concept study in the gold standard transgenic mouse model for arthritis.   VT-346 achieved a statistically significant, dose dependent impact in this preclinical model of arthritis and prevented deterioration due to disease in terms of weight gain, arthritic score and pathology parameters. VT-346 had particularly strong protective effects on therapeutically-important bone and cartilage damage in this model. The target for VT-346 is the inflammatory cytokine TNF, which is also the target for several biological therapies whose annual sales are expected to top $20 billion in 2010, making anti-TNF therapies the most commercially successful single-target group of biological therapies. Notable, however, is VT-346's unique method of neutralizing TNF, an important mediator of inflammation and therapeutic target in diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and Crohn's disease.

London, Canada - Viron Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering the development of virally-derived protein therapeutics, today announced that it has been granted U.S. patents related to three of its drug candidates, VT-111, VT-346 and VT-384. These patents join a portfolio of more than 80 previously-granted patents for Viron's multiple therapeutic candidates. Viron's unique drug discovery platform identifies proteins expressed by non-human viruses that have evolved over millions of years of evolutionary selection to evade their host's immune system, endowing them with powerful immuno-modulatory and anti-inflammatory properties.

London, Canada - Viron Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering the development of immune-modulating protein therapeutics derived from pathogens, today reported results from a Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating VT-111 (Serp-1), an anti-inflammatory protein derived from the myxoma virus.  The results were presented by Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the Research Centre at the Montreal Heart Institute, during the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) 2009 conference held in Orlando, Florida from November 14 to 18.  VT-111 met both primary and secondary endpoints of the trial, which was designed to evaluate the safety and biological activity of VT-111 in Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) patients receiving coronary stents.

London, Canada - Viron Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of viral protein therapeutics, announced today that the Company’s research collaborator, Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, Director of the Research Center at the Montreal Heart Institute, will present data from a Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating VT-111 at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2009 conference.  The conference will take place in Orlando, Florida from November 14 to 18, 2009.